Summary5 min read

Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson

Episode: The Glory of Pentecost

Date: May 29, 2026

Episode Overview

In this final reflection on Pentecost, Sinclair B. Ferguson explores the deep spiritual significance of the Pentecostal event as described in Acts 2. Focusing on Peter’s explanation through Joel 2, Ferguson illuminates the transformation ushered in by Pentecost—from the Old Covenant’s mediated experience of God to the New Covenant's direct, personal access to God for all believers. He emphasizes how the outpouring of the Holy Spirit universalized this direct knowledge of God, regardless of background or status, marking a pivotal moment in Christian spiritual history.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Interpreting Joel’s Prophecy (00:08–02:00)

Ferguson anchors the discussion in Peter’s Pentecost sermon and Joel’s prophecy:
- “God is going to pour out His Spirit on all flesh… your sons and daughters shall prophesy… your young men shall see visions, your old men dream dreams.” (Joel 2:28–29)
He poses the central interpretive question:
- “Is Peter saying that the real indication that the Spirit has come in somebody is that he or she prophesies? Is the answer yes or is the answer no?”
  - Ferguson answers, “Well, in a way it's a kind of yes and no.”

2. Old Covenant vs. New Covenant Revelation (02:00–04:40)

In Old Testament times, direct revelation from God (through prophecy, dreams, visions) was rare and mostly mediated through special offices:
- “In the Old Covenant, prophesying, seeing visions, dreaming dreams were typical ways in which God revealed himself—and his will—to his people.”
- “That immediate first-hand knowledge was not something everybody had. In fact, it came in different forms, mediated through three specific roles… the priest, the king and the prophet.”
  — Sinclair B. Ferguson (02:30)
The knowledge of God was “in a sense always second hand”—filtered through prophets and other mediators.
He references:
- “Amos, chapter three, verse seven is helpful here, for the Lord does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants, the prophets.” (03:15)
The “secret” of the Lord was only given to a very few and then distributed to the people through these mediators.

3. The Transforming Work of Christ and the Spirit (04:40–07:30)

Ferguson argues that with Christ’s incarnation and redemptive work, everything changes:
- “But now in Jesus Christ, all that has changed because he is the prophet, the priest and the king. In fact, he is the secret.” (04:50)
- He draws on Paul’s teaching: “Doesn’t the Apostle Paul speak about the fact that in him the mystery, or secret … has been made known to us all?” (05:15)
The outpouring of the Spirit means “we no longer need these other mediators… because through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we’ve all come to know him from the least to the greatest.” (05:40)
This is the fulfillment of what Joel foresaw:
- The knowledge of God, formerly mediated, now becomes immediate for all believers.

4. The New Glory of Pentecost (07:30–09:37)

The core of Pentecost’s glory is the universal, unmediated access to God for all believers:
- “All believers, no matter their gender, no matter their social status, no matter what country they came from, all believers brought to Christ by the Spirit immediately and equally are brought into the knowledge of the Lord.” (08:05)
Ferguson stresses the international aspect:
- “That isn’t just restricted to the Jewish people. The Spirit was poured out on all flesh. Everyone was hearing the Good News in their own language.” (08:45)
This fulfills the promise to the Son: "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance.”
The day of Pentecost signals “the internationalizing of the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the meaning of Pentecost’s signs:
“Is Peter saying that the real indication that the Spirit has come in somebody is that he or she prophesies? … In a way it's a kind of yes and no. Let me explain."
— Sinclair B. Ferguson (00:55)
On the limitation of Old Covenant revelation:
“We might say that the knowledge of God and His will that people had under the Old Covenant was in a sense always second hand. It was always mediated.”
— Sinclair B. Ferguson (03:50)
On Christ as the fulfillment:
“But now in Jesus Christ, all that has changed because he is the prophet, the priest and the king. In fact, he is the secret.”
— Sinclair B. Ferguson (04:50)
On the glory of Pentecost for all believers:
“All believers brought to Christ by the Spirit immediately and equally are brought into the knowledge of the Lord.”
— Sinclair B. Ferguson (08:05)
On Pentecost’s international significance:
“On the Day of Pentecost, that internationalizing of the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit was beginning. No wonder we celebrate the day of Pentecost.”
— Sinclair B. Ferguson (09:30)

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:08 — Introduction; reflecting on the central Pentecost question: "What does all this mean?"
02:00 — How prophecy, visions, and dreams functioned in the Old Covenant
03:15 — Role of prophets as mediators of God’s secret (reference to Amos 3:7)
04:50 — Christ as the prophet, priest, and king, fundamentally changing access to God
05:40 — The Holy Spirit removes the need for mediators; direct knowledge of God for all
07:30 — Universal and immediate access to God as the glory of Pentecost
08:45 — Global, inclusive scope of the Pentecostal event
09:30 — Conclusion: Pentecost as the internationalizing of the gospel

Summary

This episode brings the week’s reflections on Pentecost to a stirring conclusion by unfolding the radical shift brought about by the work of Christ and the coming of the Spirit. Ferguson explains that the true wonder of Pentecost lies not primarily in the miraculous signs, but in the reality that, through Christ and by the Holy Spirit, all God’s people now have direct, unmediated, and equal access to knowing God—irrespective of their background, status, or nationality. This new reality fulfills the Old Testament longing for a day when all would know the Lord personally and marks why Pentecost remains central to the life and mission of the church.

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[00:08]
A
Well, we're at the last day of our reflections on the day of Pentecost, and there's certainly still a lot more to say to answer the question everybody was asking on that day, namely, what does all this mean? So I want to point out just one more dimension to Peter's answer to that question. You remember he quotes Joel 2, 28, 29. God is going to pour out His Spirit on all flesh, so that your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men dream dreams. Even on my male servants and my female servants in those days I will pour out my spirit and they shall all prophesy. Now is Peter saying that the real indication that the Spirit has come in somebody is that he or she prophesies? Is the answer yes or is the answer no? Well, in a way it's a kind of yes and no. Let me explain. What Joel is saying is that in the last days something will be different from his present day. That in the last days of the New Covenant, things will be different from the days of the Old Covenant. In the Old Covenant, prophesying, seeing, visions, dreaming dreams were typical ways in which God revealed himself and his will to his people. But you'll notice from your Old Testament that that immediate first hand knowledge was not something everybody had. In fact, it came in different forms, mediated through three specific roles or offices in the Old Covenant. And there were only a few men who had these roles, the priest, the king and the prophet. It was through these three ministries that God made His Word, his forgiveness, and his rule known to his people. Amos, chapter three, verse seven is helpful here, for the Lord does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants, the prophets. Not every Old Covenant believer had immediate access to the Lord's secret. In fact, only the prophet and those to whom he in turn revealed it would have the secret. So prophesying, having dreams, seeing visions, that means having access to God's secret. And that in the Old Covenant was the experience firsthand of a very small number who then mediated that secret to all the people. We might say that the knowledge of God and His will that people had under the Old Covenant was in a sense always second hand. It was always mediated. But now in Jesus Christ, all that has changed because he is the prophet, the priest and the king. In fact, he is the secret. Doesn't the Apostle Paul speak about the fact that in him the mystery or secret we might translate it has been made known to us all? So now that Christ has come, now that Christ has worked, now that Christ is exalted, then we no longer need these other mediators to say to us, know the Lord, because through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we've all come to know him from the least to the greatest. That's what Joel's words were looking forward to. He was describing the knowledge of the Lord that in Old Covenant terms came through prophecy, dreams and visions, and saying that now in the New Covenant, in the one prophet, priest and king, our Lord Jesus, by his Spirit, we all know the Lord immediately. So Peter understood that the coming of the Spirit of God to bring us immediately to Jesus and to faith union with him meant that we would know him in this wonderful firsthand, personal way, that we would all have intimate access to him, that we would all experience the forgiveness of sins not by the pictures of sacrifices, but by the knowledge of Jesus Christ crucified. And that chiefly was the wonder and glory of Pentecost. It meant that all believers, no matter their gender, no matter their social status, no matter what country they came from, all believers brought to Christ by the Spirit immediately and equally are brought into the knowledge of the Lord. And as I say, that isn't just restricted to the Jewish people. The Spirit was poured out on all flesh. Everyone was hearing the Good News in their own language. And all because the Father had promised his Son, ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance. And on the Day of Pentecost, that internationalizing of the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit was beginning. No wonder we celebrate the day of Pentecost.